Tuesday Bolts – 4.29.14
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider on if these are the most exciting playoffs ever: “The result is that, so far, we’ve seen 3.7 minutes of clutch action per game. That’s by far the most we’ve seen since 1997 and three times as much as we got in 2010, as illustrated in the chart below. The only other season that comes close to what we’re seeing right now is 2002, which gave us 3.0 clutch minutes per game. The typical first-round playoff game bears 2.1 minutes of good clutch fruit.”
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “Durant has yet to find a rhythm against Tony Allen and the Memphis defense. He’s 40-for-101 (39.6 percent) from the floor and 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Those figures are way off his season marks of 50.3 percent and 39.1 percent. His slump actually started after his Michael Jordan-eclipsing streak of scoring 25 points or more in 41 consecutive games ended on April 8. In the final five regular-season games, Durant went 54-for-124 overall (43.5 percent) and 7-for-34 from deep (20.5 percent).”
KD on his slump: “No doubt,” he said. “I’m always confident in myself. I think I’m getting good looks. It’s a few in the fourth quarter I wish I could shoot again because they look so good. They were in and out of the rim. But that’s the name of the game sometimes. Before a breakthrough, you always have to go through a tough, tough period.”
Andrew Gilman of Fox Sports Southwest: “We may never see anything like it again. Oh, sure, Jackson will have big games and big moments, but the likelihood of it happening when both Durant and Westbrook struggle to the level they did Saturday is quite low. That sort of thing hasn’t happened. Appreciate Reggie Jackson’s moment Saturday during the game and after and then again on Monday when his eyes watered while talking about this season, his struggles and success. We may never see anything like that again, either.”
Steve Aschburner of NBA.com on Westbrook-Durant: “It also might have helped that, while both Wade and James were drafted in 2003, Wade was nearly three years older than James. Wade was ready to yield. It would have been wrong for James, who was and might still be the best player in the league, to step back. It’s different for Durant and Westbook, who were born 45 days apart in 1988. While Durant is more accomplished and the likely 2014 Most Valuable Player, some insiders speculate that Westbrook still feels as if he’s proving himself (though the Thunder don’t believe Westbrook harbors James Harden-like ambitions, aching to run his own offense).”
Berry Tramel on Reggie Jackson: “One last vestige of the Thunder U. charm. This team has grown up. It’s no longer the fuzz-faced young’ns trying to make their way in the world. No longer the half frat house, half basketball team. Durant and Jackson told the story Monday about the lockout summer, when the Thunder had drafted Jackson but couldn’t be in contact with him. Jackson was in OKC, working out with his new teammates, and didn’t have a place to live. Spent one night on Durant’s kitchen floor and didn’t mind, because he can sleep most anywhere, including a two-minute busride to the arena.”
